


Once Anew

by PhantomReaper13



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, End of the world in the beginning, Hogwarts, Master of Death (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 02:22:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21111107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomReaper13/pseuds/PhantomReaper13
Summary: With shadowed and endlessly twisting mass, Death held out it's hand. The imitation of  bones. "With this I can make your wish reality... but, be warned never can you stay back, but you can travel to another time and place."Harry Potter nodded and took the hand, let this forsaken world finally end. He disappeared as the last life on earth died out.





	1. Mother Earth's Screams

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I started writing this a long while ago and decided to continue it recently. Feel free to comment, all that I ask is that you be nice! :D

It was loud and unbearable, he feels that he should have gone mad a long time ago. Maybe he was already mad, not that there would be a difference if he was with nothing to compare it to. Earth was screaming and pleading for help. Just recently has he been able to hear her. There was nothing he could do, that anyone could actually. Which was him being the last human being alive and all.  


Okay that's great and all but the how we got here is simple, Humanity. Harry Potter threw his head back and let loose booming laughter. He had kids, beautiful with so much ahead of them. So much promise after the war ended and the peace returned. Heck he even sent them off to Hogwarts with Ginny, sweet Ginny. They never came back.  


Less than a week before the wizarding world was found out. And nobody knew, not until the bombs started dropping. A massive nuke took out Hogwarts with all the teachers and students with it. The Muggles didn’t even try to peace talk, instead opting to come out guns blazing. Right after Harry and Ginny mourned and became homebodies. One day Harry had gone out to get their vaults things as Gringotts was no longer safe.  


He came back to smoking rubble and fire with Ginny nowhere in sight. He never found her body. They were picked off one by one with google maps of all things, the technology was somehow able to see through the wards. Diagon Alley was one of the first to go, like Hogwarts.  


Harry gathered everything and collected all the magical artifacts he could, including the Hallows. One by one everyone he knew either disappeared or was killed. Ten years later only handfuls of magical people were left. By twenty less than ten. At twenty five only him, Not from lack of trying. The Hallows made him immortal in the literal sense, he ALWAYS came back.  


Harry watched as the world was found sick and irreparable from all the bombs used. Watched as the muggles slowly died out. He watched as the buildings and every shred of humanity’s existence started to crumble. Even though the air was poison he breathed it in deep, the water sludge that he choked on he still drank it. The only reprieve the greenhouse and heavily enchanted house he created. Even that was quickly wearing away by the acid rain. The magic dying and seeping out, the Earth was dying. And now he could hear her screams.


	2. Death of a World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry meets death.

It was near the end of any bearable day. The last of the magic was almost gone, he was the only one left. Green turned brown and death followed suit, no more greenhouse it seemed. Harry’s house is rotting away now unprotected from the elements the wards have been eaten away. It was when despair started to grip his heart or what at least was left of it, as he started to resign to eternal torture was when it appeared. 

It was what looked to be a skeleton of some long forgotten being, unnaturally long and looming naturally. Clothes in a black that was forever writhing and swirling about in chaos. It asked him what he wanted.

Unlike his youthful days full of ignorance and word vomiting over things, Harry thought deeply. And simply looked into the eye sockets or at least what he thought they were and answered, “ I want, no I wish to have a future.” 

Cocking its head the being asked if he knew what it was. Harry said no. So it told him, “I am known to you as Death, among many other names given to me. I am the end of all except for you Hallow keeper.” 

Blinking at Death owlishly Harry feeling numb asked the question, “So it's true? All the stories about them and about you?”

“Yes, but I can have no master you see. I made the Hallows so that who they choose be worthy shall be my equal, in few ways they can be. Eternal life for companionship and powers to protect and keep the balance. Or so was my thoughts in their creation.” Came the bone chilling voice like a shadow's touch.

“What now, clearly something is wrong with me if you don't even scare me?” Asked Harry.

“It is up to you. Move forward or stay behind.” Death rasped.

“Given here is living hell, literally. I think I'll move on. Hopefully to something better.” Harry stated looking at the being for direction.

With shadowed and endlessly twisting mass, Death held out it's hand. The imitation of bones. "With this I can make your wish reality... but, be warned never can you stay back, but you can travel to another time and place."

Harry Potter nodded and took the hand, let this forsaken world finally end. He disappeared as the last life on earth died out.


	3. Not Quite as Exspected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry wakes up in the new world.

Slowly the world became clearer around him. His senses returning one by one assaulting him from his previous tranquility. And then he heard voices. And felt the soft covers of sheets beneath him.

Snapping up in a flash, he looking around. White room and the smell of disinfectants, a hospital. Strangely the last he ever visited, Saint Mungo's. His first thought was did I just go back in time!? Then as he listened he heard talk of the chosen one ….Charlus! What!? 

As he was about to butt in and ask some very needed questions a nurse walked into the room. Asking if he knew where he was and if he has any family they could contact. Which was weird in itself considering he.was.a.full.grown.man… Merlin’s Beard! With disbelief written all over his face he felt his body to check that this was real. It was real, Harry looked like he was twelve again!! What in the, oh well if i’m only questioning this. Wait there is people, and buildings, with furniture! He fainted, for the first time in forever.

When he woke up it took less than a minute for the same nurse to walk back in, ask how he was feeling then the same questions again. As he replied she ran diagnostic checks to make sure he was really fine. Laughter filled his head making him flinch, luckily unseen by the nurse. As the voice of Death filled his head, “This is not your world. Very close in the scheme of things, a world of what ifs were real. Here the same choices resulted in different outcomes.”

Already losing the confusion Harry tried to talk back to it, “Can I talk to you like this?”

“Yes…”

“What kind of results?” Harry asked it after a moment of thought.

Somehow it felt like Death was smirking with it’s non existent lips in Harry’s mind. But the being actually deigned him with an answer. “To make things a lot faster and more clear for you I will spout a part of this world's history. Here your younger twin brother was chosen by Voldemort, and essentially your parents roles were not to die but you are still the chosen one, just no one knows. They still sent you to Lily’s sister's, alone.The Potters of this world live at Potter Manor now. You didn’t just pop into existence either, you took the body of this world’s Harry Potter. Before you ask no he did not die for you, he had just committed suicide. And I’ll be nice and include this warning, no one treated this Harry Potter good and was the main reason he has found peace in the afterlife.” 

Digesting that information for later Harry finished answering the nurses questions with the new information death had just given him. She gave him pitying glances when she thought he wasn’t looking, thinking he was attacked and lost the memories of it after getting strangled thanks to Death’s help. He was still kept overnight for observation and released in the morning.

Dumbledore was the one to come get him, Hogwarts was just starting it’s year. It seemed from Dumbledore’s comments he was in second year (actually 12 years old) and he was sad that Harry had gotten hurt. But, having an adult mind changed how he saw the man, it all just seemed fake and forced like he just wanted to keep an image. A small flicker of anger appeared and was squashed out just as quickly. Clearly since he wasn’t the ‘Golden Boy’ this Dumbledore didn’t want anything to really do with Harry. And in this world honestly why would he? 

Hogwarts must have been hell for the other Harry. Luckily he was in Gryffindor again and was able to get to his dorm room after Dumbledore said he should take the day off and rest. Classes the next day actually made him feel bad for this Harry, he wasn’t very smart it turned out either. His supposedly twin brother Charlus didn’t talk to him at all and sadly Harry’s old friends were his in this world. 

In potions he noticed how Snape constantly sniped at Charlus and sneered at Harry. By the end of class many students gawked at him when he turned in a decent potion. He just stared blankly, it was to much for his muscles to make so many emotions. It’s been years and he needed to learn how to again. It was a depressing thought. 

At lunch was his first interaction outside of class. It was Malfoy, of course it was. His trademark sneer came out and he started speaking, “Well if it isn’t the loser Potter!”

Harry in his mind laughed at how in his youth that insult would have been a big deal. As an adult older than even Dumbledore in mind, it was more amusing than anything else. He snorted much to Malfoy’s confusion and smiled. 

“Is there something wrong with your head Potty?” He asked starting to turn red.

“At least you don’t ever seem to change Malfoy. Call me names all you want if it makes you feel better. I doubt it will though, I don’t mind others opinions so much these days.” Harry responded.

It seemed odd when Harry turned around Charlus was speed walking up to them with a flabbergasted look when Malfoy just walked away looking confused. He grabbed Harry’s arm and asked him to not confront Malfoy again, he didn’t have time to save him from the Slytherins. Harry snorted at him aswell saying, “I don’t need your help Charlus. Nice brother I have that what's you care about.”

Before Charlus could respond Harry had strided away to the end of the table to sit alone. No one else talked to him the rest of the day.


	4. The New Harry Potter

It was a week when the rest of the school noticed a change with Harry Potter. He no longer was loud and actually read books acing his tests. He didn’t pick fights and never got angry at insults, laughing them off. Harry Potter was always on time for class, Snape even looked shocked the first time Harry spoke to him in class saying sir like the Slytherins. He asked if Harry was mocking him and Harry told him no,as a teacher he was inclined to respect him when teaching him something valuable. Charlus looked like he was going to be sick with most of the other Gryffindors while the Snakes gave off a curious glint in their eyes.

It seemed as if he became a different person. One of the Ravenclaws even asked if she could quiz him on a book he was reading and he passed knowing everything like a true ravenclaw. By the second week it calmed down more to just whispers and tests as the other students wanted to know WHAT was different. He got annoyed by the looks the Gryffindors gave him and that they kept nagging him and trying to bully him to be like he used to be. Harry asked for a resorting. Dumbledore was forced to by the school's regulations to give him it. 

The hat talked about all kinds of things and took forever to even get to the topic at hand.Harry just sat there enjoying the talk. As Dumbledore was becoming visibly impatient the hat actually laughed and made his decision. It seemed Ravenclaw was his new house.

By the morning everyone was talking about how Harry Potter forced himself to be resorted. 

The Ravenclaws greeted him with open arms. Harry liked it there being in companionable silence and learning. A comfortable place than the loud and boisterous Gryffindors.His time alone with himself for so long affected his tolerance of noise and turned wanting to know more into a monstrosity. What else could he have done if he had only studied more?When confronted in the halls by Charlus, Ron and Hermione about if he was going dark Harry just said that people change and clearly he was no longer a lion because he has changed more into a Ravenclaw. Ron sweet stupid Ron wouldn’t let it go, it became irritable when he started to scream quite shrilly that Harry was Dark since he said he didn’t care what type of magic people used, it was still magic.

As the scene unfolded Mcgonagall came upon them. She demanded they come to her office after deducting points. Ron told her everything spewing it out of his mouth as she became increasingly more pale, she asked why he said it. Harry just told her that Magic is much like muggle weapons, how you wield it is whats makes the difference. When she clearly wasn’t convinced he gave examples like Avada Kedavra being used to painlessly execute criminals or the unsavable ill that were only suffering. After that the teachers watched him like a hawk.


	5. Memories

It didn't take long for his entire life to change. To be able to see the fear plain on everyone's faces all the time. After a while it didn't matter what you had, or if you were a wizard,muggle or creature. Every sentient being knew that time has become limited. Of course the first things to go were the unnecessary luxuries. 

It seemed to be a slow deterioration, until it wasn't. Within a week Harry watched as the muggles fell one by one into anarchy that started their end. For a time the magical world was alright. They even tried to save magical creatures from dying out, but food became scarce. As a result the creatures started dying out as well with nothing to eat as all the plants were starting to decay. Just like with the muggles it seemed to happen out of nowhere, money was worthless and society began to cave in. Despite there not being that big of a population left there just wasn't enough resources. Prolonging spells didn't last like they were meant to and that was the first sign that something was terribly wrong. Perhaps unfixable if magic itself was suffering.   
Harry would give his food to the starving and feel death upon him. Only to wake up hours later with all his lost fat seemingly replaced.That was how he was certain that the titles from the stories of the Deathly Hallows it seemed were true. His determination soared and he didn't eat his share. 

Out of everything the worst was that Harry was alone. No Ginny,Ron, or Hermione...not even his kids. They all had been taken out fast in the beginning days. It seemed like one moment they were there and the next gone. He began to have nightmares that he woke up from screaming. 

People had noticed that he never ate and seemed to lose weight and gain it all back in one day. Leaving the pack of people he had been with was inevitable.Less than a year and no one remembered that Harry Potter existed.By two he built his house. In his self solitude the rest of the human race finally suffered their last.


	6. Curiosity

One thing that Harry has never been able to escape is curiosity. It was like an itch that only gets worse no matter what he does; he always scratches it to get it to go away as fast as possible. That was what was happening right now. It was almost scary how he was different yet no one seemed to really care. Here, Harry Potter was a joke, he wasn’t bright or witty and excelled at anything. Here he still lived with his muggle relatives until Hogwarts. The last was the worst as everyone he had cared about seems to not even want to acknowledge his presence. More than a few times he has caught himself about to talk to Ron and remembered that he wasn’t his Ron. People he thought were good people turned out aren’t as he remembered. A change in perspective and expectations really makes him question his younger self. In short Harry needs a friend now that he has acclimated, or at least he thinks he does.

Harry’s answer smacked him on the head. Snape had given him detention because he breathed too hard which actually almost made him burst out laughing. The favoritism and unfairness no longer bothers him, especially after what he has seen happen. He distantly remembers Ron complaining about the Trophy Room in his other life so long ago. Turns out for good reason, there was layers upon layers of dust covering everything. Almost unnaturally so… Approximately thirty minutes into cleaning two sets of people walked into the room. Charlus and Ron then Malfoy and for some reason Crabby. Both Malfoy and Charlus were about to start off apparently where they left off when he got the urge to throw the dusty brushes at them. The image in his mind of their faces made him laugh quite loudly.

After his eyes opened again all four boys just stared at him, not knowing what to do. Filch barging into the room broke the silence and earned the other four boys detention with him. Charlus and Ron broke off into a corner to clean and not so subtly whisper. Crabby tried to help but just couldn’t get it right. Malfoy surprisingly was the only one to actually make progress besides him. It was the third glance that he just decided to ask Malfoy the eloquent “What?”

It was funny seeing him startled and almost choke on air. Then the pureblood in him came out and he responded back now fully composed, “What are you doing with the cleaning supplies?”

Both Charlus and Ron leaned in to hear better as Harry started to explain how to mix them for what purpose and why. Malfoy was full of surprises that night when he asked the insightful question of where he learnt it and his answer about his muggle relatives and how he was basically a free cleaning lady, gave him the look of someone eating something very sour. By the end of detention Crabby and Malfoy had glazed eyes and Charlus and Ron stumbled away. Harry, well Harry was satisfied and the Trophy Room SPARKLED, Filch almost had a heart attack when he checked the room.

It was so long ago from his actual second year, Harry had completely forgot the Chamber of Secrets and Basilisk happened this year. His memory was jogged when the first victim appeared exactly the same way as before.When Harry was actually twelve he felt horrified; now he craved the need to know how and why, everything about it. With a crazy glint in his eye he figured why not mess with some people this time around, besides he has nothing better to do right now.


	7. The Downside

Seeing Mrs.Norris stiff and hanging by her tail promised danger and adventure was   
coming their way. Draco Malfoy yet again yelled about mudbloods and looked positively like a child high on waaay to much sugar. Harry barely kept from laughing at the scene this time, really the professors and some of the more studious of the students should be able to figure it out. Or at least that was what he thought until he remembered Hermione’s rant about the Wizarding World’s complete lack of common sense. Sadly it was proven again and again looking back at his life. Not to mention that Dumbledore actually could understand parseltongue which Harry didn’t know until way later than he would have liked to, which brings a whole new can of worms to the table.

This time he had the honor of watching from the sidelines as his apparent brother was in the same place he was so long ago. It definitely raised even more questions in Harry’s mind, such as the interesting shared parseltongue abilities when he understood what Charles had said to the snake. Harry wonders if the other incidents will happen again. Is it bad he wants to see them happen again? Probably, he's never been very good socially, personally he blames Dudley.  
The entire fiasco with the Chamber of Secrets was a lot less thrilling than what little he remembers of it. Of course this time he knows what is going on and only feels surprise as apparently the protocol for such things is so bad that the teachers looked like chickens with their heads cut off. AND that is with the headmaster practically saying to ignore it. Harry is torn, should he take action now or later in life? Will things even happen the same in this world that’s eerily similar yet has major differences from his own? He's never been a politician or really knows how all the legal and not legal backstabbing happens. But he's still a minor or everyone thinks he is, and as much as that sucks it does have its advantages. Thinking about all this stuff brings up other things such as the whole Sirius thing and what he doesn't know. It can be quite maddening. If the future here is the same or even close, can he really stand by and do nothing? Well yes, but there is no way he is going to go through THAT again.

Harry rather thought Malfoy was a peacock, preening when even only he himself admires his plumage. He decided compared with the disaster that is their defense teacher, even Draco was humble about it. Lockhart is so bad at teaching Harry wonders why Dumbledore didn't just let the ministry place someone, there was only so many reasons why he would let Lockhart teach, after all Dumbledoor had to of known when he hired the guy. The constant preening has made his appetite nonexistent causing a considerable amount of mother hens to try to coax him to eat after he passed out in the hallway. 

His twin was being a loner if the glimpses of him around and avoiding his friends was any indication. Harry really didn't care, but as basically an adult he is angered by them letting the bullying get so out of hand. So against his better judgment, he broke his routine to send a present via owl mail. His nonexistent social skills became nothing over the years so he just avoids interactions that require a lot of feelings.Charles face when he got the basket of candy and a note was priceless. Violent reaction aside Harry thinks he is in denial of having brotherly affections. Harry has never had a sibling with Ron being the closest thing to it, so this is all very awkward and he has no idea how to handle this. So he pretended as much as he could that nothing out of the ordinary happened.

**Author's Note:**

> It's been years since I've wrote anything on here so if something doesn't look right let me know!


End file.
